RPM/yum Database Corruption

Jumped onto my server and noticed a few out of date packages. A quick % sudo yum update reported the following:

error: rpmdb: BDB0113 Thread/process 12323/139745043400512 failed: BDB1507 Thread died in Berkeley DB library
error: db5 error(-30973) from dbenv->failchk: BDB0087 DB_RUNRECOVERY: Fatal error, run database recovery
error: cannot open Packages index using db5 - (-30973)
error: cannot open Packages database in /var/lib/rpm
CRITICAL:yum.main:

Fortunately, the fix was easy:
% sudo rpm --rebuilddb

Once complete, yum update worked like new.

Virtualbox on Windows 8 Host – Poweshell Code to Fix Resume from Standby Network Issue

I’ve always been a big fan of Virtualbox.  It has some of the best tools for converting images between different hypervisors and is a leader in its support for different configurations.  Virtualbox is a great option for testing out new or different OS’s and configurations.  I don’t have to run a crippled hypervisor on my system or run some trialware just to try the latest bits.

Microsoft made a lot of changes to the Windows 8 network stack.  One of the more obvious is the speed in which network connections resume from sleep or standby.  Unfortunately, since running Virtualbox on the Dev Preview and on the Final Release, a bug in the Virtualbox Bridged Adapter breaks network connectivity.  Below are a few ways to work around this issue.  You can find more at the bugtraq I submitted to Oracle here: https://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/10317.

Option 1: Disable Virtualbox Bridged Adapter

For me, NAT adapters had too many draw backs to my testing and use.  But, this is how I have been running until I got off my laurels and automated the disable/enable routine outlined in option 3.

  1. In Windows, go to: Control PanelNetwork and InternetNetwork Connections
  2. Right click the affected/in-use network adapter and select properties
  3. In the items list, uncheck the VirtualBox Bridged Network Adapter
  4. Hit OK and you should be all set

Option 2: Disable/Re-Enable Adapters After Resuming

Doing this manually is extremely laborious and usually ends up with you giving up on bridged adapters.  Either select option 1 or 3.  But, it may save you if you just installed Virtualbox and haven’t had the chance to implement option 1 or 3.

  1. In Windows, go to: Control PanelNetwork and InternetNetwork Connections
  2. Right click the affected/in-use network adapter and select disable
  3. Right click the affected/in-use network adapter and select enable

Option 3: Automate Option 2

The following steps will create a task that will automatically disable and reenable you network adapters upon resume.  This will slow down reconnects but will allow the use of the VirtualBox Bridged Network Adapter.

  1. Create and save a script with the following command:
    1. gwmi Win32_NetworkAdapter -EnableAllPrivileges | ? { $_.PhysicalAdapter -and $_.NetEnabled } | % { $_.Disable(); $_.Enable() }
  2. Open the Event Log and go the the System Event Log
  3. Look/Search/Filter for Event ID 1, Source Power-Troubleshooter
  4. Right click on Event and select “Attach Task to this Event”
  5. In the Action section, under Program/script, enter: powershell.exe
  6. In the Arguments section, enter: c:scriptsvirtualbox-hack.ps1
    1. Make sure the path and name matches what you named your script in step 1
  7. On the finish screen, check the box “Open the Properties diaglog…” and press OK
  8. On the General tab of the task properties, select:
    1. “Run whether user is logged in or not”
    2. “Run with highest privilges”
  9. Select OK. It should prompt you for credentials. Enter the credentials and you are done.

Fedora 11 Beta: First Reactions

It seems like just yesterday that I got home from Iraq and refreshed my laptop (Dell Latitude D610).  I ran Fedora 8 the entire time I was in Habbaniyah.  After getting home, I was excited to get a chance to skip 9 and go right to Fedora 10.  I didn’t use it long before I got a new laptop (Dell Latitude D630).  Linux never made it on the new laptop.  After I read a review of Fedora 11 Beta, I figured it was worth a shot.  I downloaded Gparted LiveCD, opened up 20GB of space and popped in the DVD.  I split this posting into three sections: the good, the mediocre and the ugly. Read More

Angelica June born…

So, I am posting this everywhere and I now realize why new parents are so annoying. Last night, at 11:52pm, nearly 15 hours into labor, Rose gave birth to our first baby. She is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Rose had a pretty hard labor. Everything was progressing pretty quickly until baby decided she couldn’t make it down the birth canal. I am being blamed for her big head but I don’t really care now.

The doctors had to do an emergency cesarean section because of mom’s fever and baby’s heart rate. We were all scared but everything went smooth and she came out crying and breathing on her own.

I don’t know how I am going to leave her or her mom in six days. It will probably be the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

Another Nephew

So, my sister is going to have another boy. She sent out an e-mail today announcing the great news. I have no doubt he will be just as awesome as my other nephew, Hunter. I really hope I will be home to meet the new addition to my family before I leave for my deployment. Congrats Jess (and Sean, Lotus and Hunter!)!

It’s a Girl!!!

So, the official word is in. I’m kicking myself for not writing down the ultrasound technician’s name. If she is wrong, she owes me some money for the suffering I have and will have to endure. After the appointment, I came home from work and found pink clothes all over the house. I thought, “It’s starting!”

Truthfully though, I couldn’t be happier. Every day, I think about what she is going to be like. I already know she will be stubborn. And, I have to admit that, she will probably be daddy’s little girl. What can I say, I’m going to be a dad. What girl isn’t daddy’s little girl?

Here is a shot: baby0002.png.

Besides that, nothing much is new. Just enjoying the fact that I am going to be a dad!

Oh yeah, her name… Angelica June. My little angle… I can already hear her saying, “But why daddy, I’m your little angle.”